Freeze Frame!
by Chuquita
Summary: Piccolo re're're're'attempts to take over the world! Bulma tricks Piccolo into cleaning out her lab, but when Piccolo finds a stopwatch that can literally stop time around him, he decides to use it to his advantage and take over the planet while everyone


4:00 PM 7/14/2003

E-mail: lac31685@aol.com

By: Chuquita

Quote of the Week: -from DuBZ #290

Gohan: You're sandbagging, Piccolo.

Chuey's Corner:

Chuquita: Hello and welcome to our 4th Piccolo one-shot fic!

Goku: (happily) EVER!

Chuquita: And, being that he is the main character for this particular fic, we have him here today with us in the Corner.

Piccolo: (nods to them) Chu, Goku, Vegeta.

Vegeta: (grunts)

Goku: (to Pic) Veggie's a lil grumpy cuz he's not the main character this time.

Piccolo: (flatly) (to Vegeta) Are you really that conceited that even though you're the star 98% of the time that you turn

into a glaring, grumbling pain-in-the-behind everytime someone else gets a chance to hog the spotlight.

Vegeta: (snort)

Goku: Little Veggie's not conceited, Piccolo, he's just a lil insecure, that's all. (comfortingly pats Veggie on the

shoulder)

Vegeta: (twitches) I am NOT "insecure". I'm just slightly peeved that I'm not in this st-- "

Chuquita: --you are in the story, Veggie. Infact you and Goku still have parts in this one too, just not as big as normal.

Vegeta: ...oh. (back to normal) Well that's something completely different than having to be completely absent from the main

feature.

Chuquita: (sweatdrops) Uh-huh. (to audiance) Anyway, today's fic features our green, pointy-earred hero finding a peculiar

stopwatch in Bulma's lab that can stop time around him! It's based on an episode of "The Twilight Zone" in which a drunken

old man gives an annoying and over-talkative bar regular such a stopwatch. The man eventually learns of the watch's powers

by fiddling with it on his own and then uses it to take revenge on those around him who mistreat him. It isn't until he

starts to steal while the rest of the world is frozen that the real trouble starts for him.

Vegeta: (snickers) Ah, you shouldn't steal you know, namek.

Piccolo: She was talking about the guy in the tv show, Vegeta.

Vegeta: (looks up at text) Oh.

Goku: (laughs) Haha, silly Veggie! Piccolo's a good guy now! He has no use for stealing!

Piccolo: (sweatdrops) What would I possibly need bad enough to steal?

Goku: Yeah! Piccy has a house, and he doesn't eat, and he only drinks water, and if he needs new clothes he just snaps his

fingers and uses his magical powers to make a new set of clothes appear on him!

Chuquita: That's one of my personal favorite Piccolo techniques, along with the limb-stretching thing.

Piccolo: Ah, you mean this. (arm stretches to to right like a rubber-band until it is long enough to touch the door)

Goku: Hahaha! (claps his hands) I wanna do that!

Piccolo: You can't. Namekian bones and muscles are very stretchable, and I'm pretty sure saiyajin bones don't bend in

different directions very easily.

Goku: (pouts) Aww..

Piccolo: However, the clothing ki attack can easily be performed by anyone if they concentrate hard enough. You hold your

hand on the person or persons you desire to clothe, then concentrate your ki into your hand and it eventually turns the

wearer's present clothes into the ones you have imagined in your mind.

Goku: (grins over at Veggie) EEEeeee~~ Veggie lemmie touch you! (wiggles his fingers about)

Vegeta: (pales) (backs up) N--no thanks, really.

Goku: (pouts) Come on little Veggie! (grins) I'll make sure it's something *really* *cute*! Like a pair of pajamas or a lil

Veggie-sized gi!

Vegeta: (quickly forms ki barrier around himself) (staring at Son, paranoidly) NOT ON YOUR LIFE!

Goku: Please Veggie! It'll be so much fun!

Vegeta: For YOU maybe! **I on the other hand see this as nothing more than a half-baked kaka-trap!**

Piccolo: (cocks an eyebrow) "Kaka-trap"?

Chuquita: He's not gonna kill you, Vedge. Just let him try. He's never tried to do this trick before anyway, so what are his

chances of getting it to work.

Vegeta: (glances at Goku, who's smiling stupidly at him) ...you got a point there, but he IS Kakarrotto...

Goku: (smushes face against the barrier) PLEASEVEGGIE!!

Vegeta: (twitches at Goku's smushed face) Oh alright! (lets down barrier) If it'll keep your large kaka-mouth quiet for a

little while I don't see the harm in it. (sits back down in his chair)

Goku: YEEEE!! (puts one hand on Veggie's head and concentrates) OHHHHHhhhhhHHHHhhhhHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhHHHHhhh...

Vegeta: ...

Goku: OHHHHHHhhhhhhHHHHHhhhhHHHHhhhhhh...

Vegeta: ...

Goku: OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH----*poof*! (puff of smoke appears, then clears)

Vegeta: ... (looks down to see he is now in dark blue fluffy pajamas) (sweatdrops) You did it?

Goku: (cheers) I DID IT! (claps his hands together) AND ON MY FIRST TRY TOO!

Piccolo: (in disbelief) But it took me, MONTHS to perfect that technique?! And Son is able to do on his FIRST TRY!!

Chuquita: (pats him on the shoulder) It's alright Pic, it's alright.

Piccolo: (sighs)

Goku: HAHAHA! I DID IT I DID IT I DID IT! (picks up Veggie and hugs him) AWWWWWWWWWWWwww, it feels even softer and warmer

than I imagined it would! (muses)

Vegeta: (bright red) Please....put me down....Kakarrotto...please...

Goku: (ignoring Veggie) Mmm... I am a HAPPY little peasant! (squeezes Veggie tigher against him)

Piccolo: (snickers at Vegeta's situation) I'm sure you are, Son.

Goku: (holds glowing-bright-red Veggie up) And LOOK! Veggie even has the kawaii lil white slippers I was thinkin of too! And

the sleepytime mittens! WOW~! (to Piccolo) I am going to use THIS technique a whole LOT from now on! (politely) Thank you

Piccolo!

Vegeta: (sarcastically) Yes, thank you Piccolo.

Piccolo: *snicker*, you're welcome, Vegeta.

Chuquita: Anyone care to introduce the fic?

Goku: (waves his free arm, other arm still hugging Veggie) OOH! ME ME! (concentrates and zaps a tail mitten onto Veggie's

tail) WELCOME TO THE STORY, EVERYBODY!

Summary: Piccolo re-re-re-re-attempts to take over the world! Bulma tricks Piccolo into cleaning out her lab for her, but

when Piccolo finds a stopwatch that can literally stop time around him, he decides to use it to his advantage and take over

the planet while everyone else is frozen around him. But what happens when he accidentally breaks the watch while using it?

Will Piccolo, Dende, and Mr. Popo be able to find a way to fix it, or will the entire universe; with their exception of the

trio, be frozen in place forever!

Chuquita: (grinning) Wanna know what else is green? My brand new car!! (Well, actually it's more of a light mint green fused

w/silver. The color's called "Seashell" :D )

Goku: Hee! I get to ride shotgun! (pumps his fist in the air)

Vegeta: HEY! What about me?!

Goku: (grins) You get to sit on my lap!

Vegeta: WAH! (falls over, bright red in the face) THAT'S NOT FAIR!!

Goku: Hahaha~! All's fair in luv-n-Veggies!

*****************************************************************************************************************************

      " Remind me why I'm doing this again. " Piccolo groaned as another item was tossed into the large box his was

holding.

      " Because it's nice to help other people, that's why. " Bulma nodded thoughtfully, " Besides, Son-kun's nowhere to be

found and Vegeta has some important thing to do that he won't tell me about. "

      " Yes, Vegeta DOES have something VERY IMPORTANT to do. " the little ouji suddenly appeared behind them, snickering.

      Piccolo did a double take, " How did you do that? "

      " Oh, a little something I picked up from the local peasantry. " Vegeta brushed it off boastfully.

      " He means Goku. " Bulma said to Piccolo, flatly.

      " Infact, I've been picking up quite a few things there within the past couple week or so. Very informative. " Vegeta

smirked.

      " Vegeta, either stop talking in riddles and help us out, or go back to what you were doing. " Bulma groaned.

      " HOW COME HE GETS TO LEAVE AND I HAVE TO STAY! " Piccolo exclaimed.

      " You're taller. Heck you can reach spots even Goku can't get to with that height. Vegeta's....well... " Bulma tried

to think of a nice way to state the obvious.

      " Vertically impaired. " Vegeta offered, slightly insulted.

      " Yes. Exactly! " Bulma perked up, then turned back to Piccolo, " And that's why I need YOU to help with this instead

of him. "

      " Uh-huh. " Piccolo said dryly as he picked up an odd-looking spring from inside the box he was holding.

      " Hey, look on the bright side Piccolo, at least we got a break from staying at the lookout all day. " Dende said,

tossing several items in the trash.

      " Mr. Popo feels very privileged to be in such a large luxurious home instead of Mr. Popo's tiny room at Kami's

house. " the genie said as he walked around the lab.

      " Aren't YOU going to help? " Piccolo asked suspicously.

      " Oh, Mr. Popo's just here to relax. After all he does all the cleanup for you guys so I figure I'd just let him be

the supervisor. " Bulma said cheerfully.

      Piccolo fell over, " THE WHAT?! "

      " NOW GET BACK TO WORK OR MR. POPO SHALL THROW LARGE HEAVY OBJECTS AT PICCOLO'S HEAD! " Mr. Popo shouted from a

lawnchair across the room, then sat back, " Ahh, Mr. Popo enjoyed THAT particular reliever of stress. It was very rare for

Mr. Popo to allow Mr. Popo's temper to lose itself in such a public area. " he sighed happily.

      " Somebody shoot me. " Piccolo said bluntly.

      " Haha! If we did that it wouldn't be any fun to watch you. " Vegeta laughed.

      Bulma glared at the ouji, " Vegeta I'm giving you 10 seconds to get out of here, if not then you're going to be

forced to go over there and clean the other half of the floor that Dende hasn't gotten to you since you're both around the

same size. "

      " Fine. " Vegeta snorted, then turned to walk up the stairs, " I have more pleasurable experiences waiting for me

aboveground anyway. "

      " I guess I better be going too. " Bulma sighed.

      " YOU'RE leaving too!? " Dende gawked.

      " I have some computer work upstairs in my office. And besides, it's not like I'm still not going to pay you guys

the 1,000 zeni for doing this for me. " she said, then walked over to a seemingly blank wall with a large control panel

stationed on a desk pushed against it. She hit one button and the wall went up to reveal dozens of television screens all

connected to cameras throughout Capsule Corp, " If you need me all you have to do is find the room I happen to be in and

press the little red button next to the screen you see me on. That'll alert the camera's 2-way radio contact system and we

can talk to each other through it. Like a visual walkie-talkie! "

      " Do you really need to have security cameras in the bathrooms too? " Piccolo cocked an eyebrow.

      " Well Capsule Corp's a very rich business. We have lots of competitors willing to sneak in to get their hands on

some of our items; or even just an ordinary thief looking for money! They could try to break in through ANYWHERE and this way

we'll be able to capture everything that happens anywhere in the building on tape. " Bulma explained. She pointed to the

screen that shown a view of the kitchen, " See, there's my mom. And over here.. " she pointed to a screen that was outside

of Capsule Corp in the animal atrium, " Is my dad feeding our dogs. " Bulma looked around the screens again, " Ah! And

there's Vegeta taking some hot fudge syrup out of the fridge and carrying it back to the living room. " she turned to face

them, " And now you can watch me leave! "

      " But what about-- " Dende turned to Bulma only to find she was already at the top of the stairs waving to them.

      " Byebye! " she said in a sing-song tone, then promptly left.

      " Is it just me, or do you feel like we're getting jipped here. " Piccolo grumbled.

      " Yes. It is becoming very apparent to me now. "

      " Mr. Popo advises Dende and Piccolo not to get so down in the dumps. " Mr. Popo smiled from his lawnchair, " Why

just look what Mr. Popo has found while reaching around under Bulma's laboratory desk. " he held up a fancy looking pair of

sunglasses, then put them on, " Mr. Popo will be having fun in the sun THIS afternoon. "

      " That is if we can even get FINISHED by this afternoon. " Dende remarked.

      " Why don't we just leave? " Piccolo suggested, " We just get out of here and when Bulma finds out we left she'll

just send Vegeta and Son to come do this. "

      " Piccolo, we can't do that! It's not very responsible for the GUARDIAN OF THE EARTH to just leave when his friends

are in trouble. " Dende complained, " Besides....we didn't get our money yet. "

      " Hmm, you've got a point there. " Piccolo said, deep in thought.

      " Mr. Popo will put on some cleaning music if that would possibly help Piccolo and Dende move any faster. " the

genie suggested.

      Piccolo sweatdropped, " This is so tremendously stupid. "

      " No it's not. " Mr. Popo said.

      " THAT'S BECAUSE **YOU** DON'T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING! "

      " Mr. Popo is beginning to feel racked with a guilty conscience thanks to lazy Piccolo. " Mr. Popo frowned.

      Piccolo sat down in a chair infront of the various tv screens and sat the box he was holding down on his lap. He

scanned the screens in a dull, disinterested way until his eyeballs hit one screen that made them nearly pop right out of

their sockets. His eyes quickly scanned down to the screen that was recording the stairs in the living room. Vegeta was

walking up them with the bottle of chocolate syrup in his hand while doing what looked like whistling. Piccolo's jaw hung

open, " De--de-de-de--Dende! " he squeaked out.

      " Not now Piccolo! I can't figure out how this vacuum works. "

      " Dende...PLEASE come look at this. " Piccolo gawked.

      Dende blinked from across the room, " Wait did you just say "please"?! "

      " DENDE! POPO! " the taller namek snapped, " OVER HERE! "

      " What? " Dende said.

      " LOOK!!! "

      " Here Dende, let Mr. Popo aid Dende in starting up Bulma's vacuum. " Mr. Popo walked over to Dende and took the

vacuum from him, " Ahh, here we go! " he flicked a small button, then let out a scream as the vacuum went flying across the

room at 60mph. Dende sweatdropped as Mr. Popo did his best to keep from slamming into walls while being thrown around by

the vacuum cleaner as if he was riding a bull, " MR. POPO REQUIRES ASSISTANCE! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! "

      Dende sweatdropped, then tugged on Piccolo's cape, " Uh, Piccolo? "

      " WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! " Mr. Popo screamed as the vacuum blasted through a nearby

wall and kept going with the the round genie holding on for dear life.

      " ... " an even larger sweatdrop appeared on the side of Dende's head. The small guardian tugged again at Piccolo's

cape, " Piccolo! Mr. Popo! He's--- "

      " --Dende what do you see on the forth screen three rows down. " Piccolo said in a deadtone voice.

      " Wha, but Po---ugh. " Dende groaned, then complied by searching out said screen and looking at it. His eyes

instantly bugged out of his head, " ! "

      " ... "

      " ... "

      " Piccolo is that who I think it is? "

      " Yes Dende. "

      " ... "

      " ... " both nameks stared in shocked silence for several more seconds before turning to each other.

      " We must never speak of this again. " Piccolo said, " For it could unravel the entire universe within itself and

cause the end of life as we know it. "

      " Agreed. " Dende squeaked out, both a little greener than they had been 10 minutes ago.

      " WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAHhhhhhhhhhh!! SOMEBODY AID MR. POPO'S DESPAIR BEFORE HIS

LIFE IS ENDED TRAGICALLY BY BULMA'S WAYWARD VACUUM CLEANERRRRR!!!! "

      " Hm? " Piccolo glanced over his shoulder, then stuck his foot out, tripping the vacuum cleaner and sending Mr. Popo

catapulting into the wall.

      " Oww. " the genie squeaked out as he slid down to the floor.

      Dende sent Piccolo a death-glare.

      " What? I stopped it, didn't I? " he said in a defensive tone.

      " Ugh. " Dende rolled his eyes.

      " Hey Popo, wanna see the most truely disturbing thing on Earth? " Piccolo asked him.

      " DON'T SHOW HIM THAT! Heck you shouldn't have shown ME that! " Dende snapped.

      " It's just a room. " Piccolo shrugged.

      " It's SICK, THAT'S what it is! " Dende exclaimed, then looked at the screen and nearly threw up this time.

      " Haha. You can't even see anything this time and you're ready to throw up. "

      " Mr. Popo is missing out on juicy gossip between Dende and Piccolo? " Mr. Popo sat up and dashed over to them. He

glanced up and gasped, " It is like one of Bulma's sassy daytime soap operas. She will be most displeased to see this once

she rewinds and views her security times for the day. "

      " Hahahah, yeah. " Piccolo chuckled, " We should come back later just to watch her reaction when she does. "

      " But that's cruel and unusual! " the younger namek gawked.

      " So. "

      " ... "

      " Oh well, what am I supposed to do with these again? " Piccolo said, returning to the bored state the duo were in

earlier.

      " Put them through Bulma's cruncher. She said those are "failed inventions". " Dende said.

      " "Failed inventions?" How can you have a FAILED invention? " Piccolo muttered to himself as put the box on the edge

of the cruncher and took each item out one by one and tossed it in the crunching machine. Every invention had a label on it

telling what it was, " Laser-powered hairdryer, " he pressed the on switch and a giant red laser beam came firing out of it

like a cannon, evaporating half the wall. Piccolo sweatdropped and tossed it in the machine, " shoulder massaging pads, " he

read as Dende walked by. Piccolo turned it on and dropped it onto the young nameks shoulder. The pad squeezed intensely and

caused Dende to let out a yelp of pain and fall to his knees.

      " OWW OWW OWW OWW OWW!! IT'S BREAKING MY SHOULDER BONE! THE PAIN! THE HIDIOUS PAIN!!! OHHHHH--- " Piccolo took the

pad off and tossed it into the cruncher. Dende glared up at him while Piccolo avoided his gaze with a cool expression on his

face, " Curse you... " Dende shook his fist, still hunched over with his face facing the ceiling as if he was trying to limbo

. Dende walked off in the same position he was currently in, letting out small yelps of pain here and there.

      " Ocean-caps. " Piccolo said outloud, examining what looked like a regular Capsule Corp capsule. He tossed it to the

ground and instantly flooded the entire room, drowning the trio if not for humongous gaping hole the laser-powered hairdryer

had left in the wall, sending the saltwater pouring out through Bulma's front lawn and into the streets of West City. Dende

and Mr. Popo glared at Piccolo.

      " Uh, cowabunga? "

      " AAUGH! " Dende screamed, stomping off while still bent over.

      " Mr. Popo is VERY confused. " Mr. Popo said, spitting out a good amount of water. He walked over to the

equally-soaked Piccolo, " If Piccolo will allow Mr. Popo's advice...MAYBE Piccolo should toss the objects into the machine

WITHOUT testing them first due to the fact that the entire reason they are being thrown in there is due to their

defectiveness. "

      " ...uh-huh. " Piccolo said, then tossed several things in without testing them, " Hey, a watch. " he said, curiously

picking it up. The watch was a round, golden stopwatch much the same kind old-time railroad conductors used. Piccolo pressed

the stopwatch's button on the top, and to his surprise, nothing happened, " Huh. Nothing. " he looked up at Mr. Popo, " See

Popo? Nothing to worry about. " he tapped the genie on the shoulder. Mr. Popo fell onto his side, frozen, " ... " Piccolo

stared down at him, disturbed, " Uh, Popo? "

      " ... "

      " Hey Dende, something's wrong with-- " Piccolo whipped around only to see Dende was no longer moving as well. A

slight bit of paranoia surrounded the taller namek as he then dashed over to the security screens to see everyone the cameras

were watching had also frozen in place. Piccolo looked back down at the stopwatch and pressed the button a second time. The

people on the screens started to move again as if nothing had happened. Piccolo's jaw hung open a few inches as he looked

down at the watch and the wheels in his brain started to turn.

      " What is Mr. Popo suddenly doing on Bulma's floor? " Mr. Popo blinked, confused as he stood back up, " Piccolo did

you-- "

      " --it's INGENIUS! " Piccolo exclaimed, whipping around, " How could she ever think of throwing it away! Pure genius!

It's without any type of flaw whatsoever! "

      " What are you babbling about now? " Dende said, walking over to them. Piccolo grabbed Dende's back and snapped it

upright and back into place so Dende was now standing normally again. Dende twitched in slight pain, " Thanks. "

      " You're welcome. " Piccolo said while staring at the watch.

      " What's that? " the smaller namek asked curiously.

      " Oh, nothing, just my newest and greatest plot to overthrow the rest of this little blue planet and finally claim

the ruling title I deserve. " he said while admiring the stopwatch. Dende cocked an eyebrow.

      " Piccolo, that's a watch. You can't take over the planet with a watch. " Piccolo pressed the button as soon as Dende

finished his sentence, then leisurely paced past Dende until he was standing behind him. Piccolo pressed the button again,

" Besides it's not right! And how could it possibly--- " Dende paused when he noticed Piccolo was no longer where he had been

standing a second ago.

      " Hello. " Piccolo tapped Dende on the shoulder. The guardian twitched in fright for a second, then whipped around

to see Piccolo holding the stopwatch out to him. Piccolo bent down to Dende's height, " It's a stopwatch that stops time.

Watch. " he put his free hand ontop of Dende's head, then pressed the button again, causing everything else to instantly

freeze. Dende looked around, confused until he noticed Mr. Popo frozen in what looked like the middle of a sentence.

      " Mr...Popo? " he poked the genie nervously.

      " MWAHAHA! He can't hear you! He's frozen solid! And so is everyone else on the planet. Apparently the only things

that remain untouched are the watch and those in contact with the watch itself. " Piccolo said, " It's a perfect plan! We'll

use the watch to pause everyone but us, then string banners and signs and such around to make it look like I've already

conquored Earth. Then we unpause everyone, and they'll all be too confused to think otherwise! " he said, stating his plot.

      " Yeah, but.. " Dende waved his hand infront of Mr. Popo's face, still trying to get the plump genie to respond,

" it was in Bulma's "FAILED INVENTIONS" box! There must be something defective about it! Otherwise why would it be there! "

      " ... " Piccolo looked around calmly, " I see nothing defective here. "

      " AAUGH! GIVE ME THAT! " Dende jumped up and hit the button.

      " --and that is why Mr. Popo is very confused! " he finished, then looked around to see Dende and Piccolo had both

suddenly appeared in a different part of the room. Mr. Popo rubbed the side of his head, " Mr. Popo's brain feels like it is

ready to explode. "

      " It's alright Mr. Popo. Piccolo here'll explain all about it. " Dende said, walking Popo over to Piccolo.

      Mr. Popo looked up at Piccolo inquisitively, " By the look on Piccolo's face it seems to Mr. Popo that Piccolo is up

to something. "

      " 'Piccolo' is indeed. " the taller namek smirked, " Mr. Popo, what if I told you that this little watch holds the

key to a plan so ingenius, not even Goku or Vegeta OR their tails could mess it up THIS time.... "

      " I'm goin to Veggie's, I'm goin to Veggie's, house! " Goku sang happily as he turned the corner on the street and

headed up to the front door of Capsule Corp. The large saiyajin leaned his finger lightly towards the doorbell.

      " *DING*DONG**DING*DONG**DING*DONG**DING*DONG**DING*DONG**DING*DONG**DING*DONG**DING*DONG**DING*DONG*!!!!!!!!!! "

      " Kakarrotto, hello. " the door opened and a voice came from below him. Goku looked down and smiled at the little

ouji, " I was expecting you. " Vegeta said as he put a small pen in his pocket.

      " WOW, so little Veggie is psychic now, huh? " the larger saiyajin grinned as he walked inside and sat down on the

couch the ouji had been plopped down on previously. The news was on the tv infront of him Goku happily looked around the room

as Vegeta sat on the opposite end of the couch.

      " Yes Kakarrotto, that's it. I'm psychic. However did you know. " Vegeta sarcastically remarked.

      " I dunno, maybe I'm psychic too! Just like Veggie! " Goku beamed.

      " Sarcasm is lost on you, isn't it? "

      " Hmm? " Goku tilted his head sweetly and obliviously. Vegeta sighed and turned his attention back to the tv.

      " ... "

      " ... "

      " Veggie where's Bulma? "

      " Her office. "

      " Veggie where's Bulma's mommy & daddy? "

      " Animal habitat. "

      " Veggie where's Bura? "

      " Afternoon nap. "

      " Veggie where's chibi Trunks? "

      " In his room playing video games. "

      " Veggie where's Mirai? "

      " In Trunks's room playing video games against him. " Vegeta said, starting to get a little annoyed. He popped a

piece of fudge in his mouth from the plate on the table and went back to watching tv.

      " Aww, you mean little Veggie is all a-lone today? " Goku frowned, " Poor Veggie. "

      " ... "

      Goku stared for a moment, then smiled and leaned to the side, " Tiiiiiiimber! "

      " *SMUSH*! "

      Vegeta flinched at the large squishy lump that had just flopped onto the right side of his body and was pressing him

tightly against the end of the couch.

      " Heeheehee. " the little high-pitched voice giggled, " Veggiesmyfavorite. "

      " Kakarrotto I'm starting to lose the feeling in the right side of my body. "

      " ... "

      " And it HURTS. "

      " ... "

      " SO GET OFF!! " Vegeta snapped, trying to get his point across.

      " Mmm....no. " Goku chirped.

      " Ugh! " Vegeta pushed to his right, trying to knock the large blob off him, which, due to his size compaired to

Goku's, was quite a difficult task, " Get off of me....you...big...BAKA! " the ouji gave a sharp shove to Goku's side,

causing Goku to slip and both saiyajins to fall over, letting out two strangled yelps.

      " *CLICK*! And as you can see, Popo, while people ARE entirely paused, they, among with objects can also easily be

moved. " Piccolo explained. The trio stood in Bulma's office about 10 feet away. Piccolo motioned to the pencil he had thrown

in the air shortly before re-hitting the stopwatch's button. He took the pencil right out of the air and spun it around, then

set it back on the table.

      " Mr. Popo understands where Piccolo is going with this, but what Mr. Popo does not understand is how once Piccolo

gets all of his fancy signs and propaganda out, how many people, once the world is unfrozen in time once again, are going

to believe Piccolo? " Mr. Popo questioned him.

      " Popo, if propaganda can convince an entire planet that HERCULE saved us all from Cell, then it certainly can

convince the same planet that it has just elected me as it's awe-inspiring leader. " Piccolo nodded calmly.

      Dende sighed, " Sadly he's got a point. This isn't the brightest planet in the solar system. "

      " Exactly! " the taller namek added as they left Bulma's office, " Now the first thing we have to do is find an art

supplies store that sells gigantic buckets of paint and hardboards. "

      " Remind me why I'm doing this again? " Dende groaned.

      " Because Dende and Mr. Popo have tagged along with Piccolo on Piccolo's questionable deeds such as this for so many

instances that it has become routine for Dende to currently aid in Piccolo's plotting without bothering to yell at him about

it for Dende thinks if he lets it go, Piccolo's plan will ultimately backfire in his face as it has the previous 3 times. "

Mr. Popo explained.

      Piccolo shot him a death-glare, " Will you be QUIET! "

      " WHAT'S THERE TO BE QUIET FOR! NO ONE CAN HEAR US!! " Dende exclaimed as they made their way through the hallway and

into the living room. Upon entering Piccolo's eyeballs shot out of his head.

      Mr. Popo walked over to where the eyeballs had landed and picked them up off the floor. He rubbed each one off with

his hands before popping them both back inside Piccolo's sockets, then walking back to where he had previously stood.

      " Oh dear God..... " Piccolo muttered in shock.

      " What? What is it?! I can't see! " Dende complained as he tried to get past both Popo and Piccolo who were blocking

the hallway.

      " Dende get me my camera. " Piccolo said, trying to reel back from the shock as he held his hand out to Dende while

still staring straight ahead. Dende sighed and pulled out a camera, then handed it to Piccolo who walked into the living room

and around the couch until he was blocking the tv and staring in complete shock and disgust at the two bodies lying on the

piece of furntiture. While Vegeta had managed to push Goku off of him before the freeze frame thanks to Goku slipping, the

larger saiyajin had hit his back on the couch and bounced back up while the ouji was pushing him away making it appear as

though instead of one trying to push the other away it looked as though the duo were seconds away from locking lips.

      " That's...just not right. " Piccolo cringed in disgust, taking a snapshot, " But brilliant blackmail! " he held up

the photo and placed it ontop of the table to wait for it to develop.

      " Muh--maybe we just caught them at an awkward moment. " Dende said, trying to make a logical theory of things.

      " Oh it doesn't get much more awkward than this. " Piccolo gave a crackled laugh.

      " AH, so this is the "little something" Vegeta-san said he has been picking up from the "local peasantry"....Mr. Popo

is quite disturbed to say the least. " the genie said as if enlightened.

      " No! Of course not! It couldn't be! " Dende shook his head, still shocked, " It couldn't be, right Piccolo? "

      " Weirder things have happened. " Piccolo said dully, picking up the photo and putting it and the camera away, " If

that's how they wanna preserve their already near-dead species, then be my guest; just leave me out of it. " he opened the

front door, " **I on the otherhand, intend to preserve my memory through my people, well, the people who will soon become my**

people, anyway. "

      " What do you need to preserve?! Our own homeplanet has THOUSANDS of namekians living on it! " Dende shouted.

      Piccolo sighed, " Not my SPECIES. My self. My calm-and-collected coolness. "

      " Piccolo is indeed very hip, Mr. Popo agrees. " Mr. Popo nodded. Dende twitched.

      " Glad you're on my side on this one Popo, you just won the title of head-assistant to the ruler of the Earth! "

Piccolo congradulated him, shaking hands.

      " Mr. Popo is very thankful for this honor. " the genie smiled.

      Dende fell over, " NOT YOU TOO!! "

      " Come on Dende, let's go. " Piccolo said, leaving.

      " But--but--but what about our zeni! How can we even AFFORD all this stuff you intend on buying for you "ad campain"!

" Dende sputtered.

      " Dende, everyone's frozen. We don't have to pay for any of this. BESIDES, once I'm ruler of the Earth I won't need

to pay for anything! Now come help me and Popo find the art supplies store. " he said as they both left.

      Dende sighed, standing in the doorway. He glanced over at Goku and Vegeta, " I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY! " the small namek

snapped, annoyed and confused as he stomped out of the house, " Art supplies store, HOW are we EVER going to find an art

supplies store. "

      " Well, whadda ya know. Here we are. " Dende muttered in surprise as they stood infront of the art supplies store.

Piccolo stood there, full of confidence, " For some reason you look like you planned this. " the younger namek mentioned.

      " No, I'm just in a good mood, that's all. " Piccolo said, stepping foot on the electric door opener and waiting for

the doors to open.

      " ... "

      " ... "

      " Now that's weird. " Piccolo mumbled to himself.

      " Mr. Popo feels that Piccolo's good mood is about to be tested. " the genie spoke up. Piccolo sent a quick

death-glare at him.

      " It's probably just a malfunction. " he said, then stomped harder on the black, riveted mat, " How can it NOT open

for me! I outweigh the entire Son family and it STILL doesn't recognize the fact that there's weight being put ontop of it!

" he said, getting increasingly ticked, " What kind of crap is this! I'm not going to BREAK IN to department store! "

      Dende coughed lightly in Mr. Popo's direction. The genie pulled out a giant gong and hit it with a stick, " Nail. "

Dende said flatly.

      The taller namek's expression went blank. He then looked down at Dende and smiled, " Oh, hello Dende. "

      " Hello Nail. " Dende nodded to his friend.

      " ... "

      " ... "

      " ..so, is he still-- "

      " --screaming his head off, yeah. " Nail replied. The trio waited about 5 minutes in silence. Nail suddenly spoke up

calmly, " Oh-kay Dende, I think he's done fuming now. "

      Dende turned to Mr. Popo and nodded to him. Mr. Popo rang the gong and the caped namek's face went blank again until

it soon reverted back to a glare directed at Mr. Popo.

      " You just lost your 'head-assistant to the ruler of the Earth' title. " Piccolo said in a ticked, dead-serious tone.

      " Ohh...Mr. Popo is sad. " the genie pouted.

      " And you're the janitor. " Piccolo motioned to Dende.

      " WHAT?! YOU CAN'T DEMOTE ME! YOU DIDN'T EVEN ASSIGN ME A JOB YET! " Dende exclaimed.

      Piccolo sighed, then smirked down at Dende, " Hey Dende how'd you like to be vice-emperor of the Earth? "

      " Would I! " Dende said eagerly.

      " Oops, you've just been demoted. Janitor it is. " Piccolo said intelligently. Dende fell over, twitching.

      " Hahaha. Dende has to be the janitor. " Mr. Popo laughed.

      " Assistant janitor. " Piccolo coughed in Mr. Popo's direction. The chubby genie frowned.

      " Mr. Popo is sad again. "

      Piccolo stared at the door, examining it, " Strange. The problem must be the electricity. "

      " What? " Dende stared at him, utterly confused.

      " The electricity. It must've frozen along with everyone and everything else. That being so, the current is trapped

in place and unable to move through the mat once I step on it and that's why even if it wanted to it couldn't reach the mat

to allow my foot's pressure to activate it. " Piccolo explained.

      " Wow Piccolo, that's pretty-- " Dende started, then sweatdropped as he watched Piccolo punch his fist through the

door, breaking a hole big enough for all three to step through, " --impressive. "

      " I've been hanging out with Gohan lately. " Piccolo said, stepping through, " I still can't believe he's been

NERDIFIED! And by his own mother too....I really miss my son sometimes. " he sighed, walking inside.

      " He means chibi Gohan. " Dende whispered to Mr. Popo.

      " O. "

      " Well, what about Pan? She's 3, 4 years old. Maybe you could train a little bit with her. " Dende said, trying to

help.

      Piccolo mock-laughed, " HA! She's no child of mine. She's a female chibi Goku with an ice-cream fetish! "

      Dende let out a low whistle of uncomfortableness, " Well, let's uh, go get those poster boards and markers for you,

huh. "

      " Yeah, sure. " Piccolo said, feeling a little better.

      " Mr. Popo suggests Piccolo can always have his own kids anytime Piccolo wants, seeing as Piccolo's species can

easily pop out a child through their mouths. " he said.

      Piccolo stared at him with a deadpan expression on his face, " Uh-huh. " he turned back to Dende with a determined

look, " ALRIGHT DENDE, LET'S GO! "

      3 hours later...

      " ...water....WATER... " Piccolo gasped as they wandered down the seemingly endless eisles, still unable to locate

their desired product.

      " Mr. Popo is starting to think he has been this way before. " Mr. Popo said, confused.

      Dende hissed tiredly at him, " SHH! Don't give him any ideas!.....I say we make a run for it... "

      Mr. Popo gasped, " But Dende-- "

      " --WHAT WAS THAT! " Piccolo boomed from infront of them.

      " Nothing! " Dende yelped. The group continued walking.

      " ... "

      " ... "

      " You know, if Dende and Piccolo are so desperately thirsty, Mr. Popo would be happy to offer some of the water

within his water canteen. " the genie spoke up. Both nameks froze on the spot and turned back to him sending death-glares.

      " YOU HAD WATER ALL THIS TIME AND YOU DIDN'T TELL US!! " Dende screamed, grabbing Popo by the collar and shaking him.

      " Dende, never, asked, Mr, Popo, about, it! Mr, Popo, had, no, idea, that, Dende, was, thirsty! " Mr. Popo said

between shakes.

      " Ahh! " a refreshed sigh came from behind them. Dende dropped Mr. Popo and gawked in shock to see Piccolo finish off

Mr. Popo's canteen, " Why thank you, Popo. You now have your 'head-assistant to the ruler of the Earth' job back. "

      " HOORAY! " Mr. Popo cheered, " Mr. Popo is filled with joy! "

      " ERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR... " Dende felt the anger along with his lack of water boil inside him.

      Mr. Popo pulled out a fan and wafted the smoke away that was coming out of Dende's ears.

      " Calm down, Dende. You're not a warrior, you're a healer. You couldn't lay a good punch on me if you tried. "

Piccolo said, " Besides I found the eisle. " he motioned to his right.

      " You--you found it? " Dende said with surprise, snapping out of his rage and glancing to his right to see an entire

eisle full of giant posterboard papers and 10 foot-tall green markers and sweatdropped, " ...well, I guess you did. "

      Piccolo picked up a stack of papers and a marker, " Dende, Popo, grab a marker and meet me back at Capsule Corp's

backyard. That's the biggest place I can think of that'll fit all these things while they're laying flat. " he said, heading

off in the direction they had come from and were going in.

      Mr. Popo easily hoisted a marker over his back and followed Piccolo out to the end of the store. Dende looked at the

markers incrediously, then sighed. He grabbed one and slowly dragged it after the others.

      " Oww. "

      " Well, that wasn't so hard, was it? " Piccolo said as they made their way back to Capsule Corp.

      " NO, just EXCRUCIATINGLY **PAINFUL! " Dende emphasised, annoyed.**

      " There ya go. Keep a stiff upper lip, kid. "

      " Piccolo. It's 96'F outside. WHY must you mock me. " Dende twitched.

      Piccolo stopped for a second in supposedly 'extreme concentration'. He turned back to Dende, " Because I can. " he

stated. Dende fell over.

      " WAH!! "

      " Hurry up Popo, all this freeze-framing can't be good for the majority of the earthlings brains. " Piccolo said,

walking a bit faster.

      Mr. Popo sat on his flying carpet along with his marker, " Oh, Mr. Popo is in no hurry. " he said comfortably.

      Dende grumbled, then took his first good look at the city around him. People frozen in place like a large group of

department-store mannequins. Dende shuddered, then let out a yelp as he bumped into something. The small namek rubbed his

nose and backed up to see it was the backend of a bazooka. Dende let out a strangled yelp and walked around to see the

person holding the bazooka was Son Chi-Chi, who looked like she was in the middle of running down the street towards the

Capsule Corp building not even a block from where Dende and the others currently were standing.

      " Hey Piccolo, come look at this. " Dende said. The taller namek along with the genie turned towards Dende, who was

currently pointing at Chi-Chi.

      " Well, whadda you know. It's just not Vegeta's lucky day, is it. " he said, then stared at Chi-Chi with some

thought before slipping the bazooka out of her arms and slipping in an ironically-same-sized spare giant green marker,

" There. I've done my good deed for the day and saved some poor innocent bystanders a possible instant and accidental

wound and/or death. "

      " Not to mention confuse quite a few people once they're all unfrozen. " Dende added, then let out a snicker, " She

does look pretty funny though. "

      " Dende! Popo! Hurry up! I don't want to keep them frozen too much longer! " Piccolo shouted, now ahead of them

again, concerned. Piccolo re-opened the front door and walked right past the frozen Goku and Vegeta, this time unfazed. He

nodded to each as he passed, " Romeo, Juliet. "

      " Goku, Vegeta. " Mr. Popo nodded as he flew past.

      Dende sighed, getting inside last and dragging the marker past the two saiyajins, " You know I really REALLY hope

there's some logical explanation for all this. "

      " HURRY UP DENDE! " Piccolo shouted, already laying out everything in the backyard. Dende headed outside after them.

Piccolo had layed out all the posterboard and was currently, along with Mr. Popo drawing signs congradulating Piccolo's

overthrow of the earth.

      " Don't you think it's a little egotistical to award yourself on something you haven't even accomplished? " Dende

cocked an eyebrow.

      " ... " Piccolo momentarily glanced up at him, " Anyway Popo, I want you to use a really big font for my name on that

one. Make it menacing, yet friendly. "

      " Mr. Popo is starting to see the downside of a company producing so large a marker. " Mr. Popo said while trying to

grasp onto the giant green marker without it slipping right out of his hands.

      " What do you want me to do, your emperor-ness. " Dende remarked flatly.

      " Give me your marker and go back inside to Bulma's office and get her staple-gun. If we're gonna put all these

posters up correctly we're gonna need a LOT of staples. "

      Dende sighed, then dropped the marker and sluggishly walked back into the house, " Is it just me, or is this starting

to be more trouble than it's worth. " the guardian walked into the office and looked around for the stapler, then noticed it

sitting on the edge of the desk Bulma was sitting at. Dende picked up the staper-gun, " Excuse me. " he sweatdropped at Bulma

, who was still frozen inplace. Dende glanced over at her for a moment, then blinked in surprise to see that there was an

additional few lines on the computer screen than there had been the last time. The namek paled, " Uh, Bulma? " he turned to

her, only to see she was still frozen in place. Dende glanced at his watch, and then at hers. He narrowed his eyes at the

watch on her wrist, then froze. The second hand had just moved one click to the right.

      " Uh....oh. " Dende felt a slight hint of fright, " Piccolo? PICCOLO!! " he ran back out with the stapler, then

noticed Goku and Vegeta's positions had changed as well. Dende's suspicions had been proven and Goku was gleefully pushing

Vegeta back the way the now-surprised-and-confused-looking ouji had just done to him. Vegeta looked as though if they had

been unpaused he would've hit his back on the couch, slipped and tumbled to the floor. Dende sighed with partial relief.

      " Well, that's two things in a row I've just proven Piccolo wrong on. " he said to himself, then ran outside to where

Piccolo and Mr. Popo were now nearly done making the posters proclaiming Piccolo ruler of the Earth, " PICCOLO! PICCOLO!!! "

Dende shouted frantically only to be presented by a large rolled up group of posters.

      " ..and these are for Dende. " Mr. Popo said while Piccolo checked off something on a list.

      " Piccolo! Piccolo you gotta listen to me! " Dende cried above the posterboard blocking his view, " Piccolo! The

stopwatch! It doesn't freeze people in place! They're still moving! Just really really slow!! "

      Piccolo looked at him skeptically, " Uh-huh. Sure, Dende. "

      " NO! REALLY! I mean first it was Bulma's computer, and then her watch, and then Goku and Vegeta and infact you were

wrong about it they're really having some sort of pushing contest and why am I even talking about that THE POINT IS EVERYONE

IS STILL MOVING WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!! " Dende exclaimed in a panic.

      " Mr. Popo suggests Dende take a chill pill. " the genie held out a little blue pill. Dende looked at it

sarcastically, then popped it in his mouth only to spit it out and yelp in pain.

      " FROSTBITE! I'VE GOT FROSTBITE!!! " he wailed, his stuck-out tongue now a frozen blue color, " WHAT WAS IN THAT! "

he snapped at Popo.

      " Super-concentrated ice-cubes. "

      " ... " Dende glared silently at him.

      Mr. Popo stared blankly.

      Piccolo snickered at them both and hovered upward, " POPO, DENDE! HELP ME ATTACH THESE TO THE FRONT OF CAPSULE CORP

AND THE BUILDINGS NEXT TO IT! WE HAVE TO SET UP THE PARADE! "

      Dende stared up at him, utterly confused, " "Parade"? "

      " Parade. " Dende said lamely. Another 2 hours had passed and the trio had rounded it the majority of West City

citizens and gotten them all into marching-band uniforms, complete with their own instruments.

      " Mr. Popo wonders how this particular band is going to sound seeing as neither Piccolo or Dende or Mr. Popo knows

any of these people's musical capabilites. " the genie said, baffled.

      " Relax Popo, " Piccolo said, now in his emperor-of-the-earth costume that he had made during his free time, " It's

all going perfectly! "

      Dende looked around for where they had left Chi-Chi. He twitched to see she still appeared frozen in place like the

others but was now only a few houses away from Capsule Corp, " Hoo boy...nothin stops her, does it? "

      " Oh-kay Popo! Move it a little to the left! " Dende heard Piccolo shouting behind him. The smaller namek turned

around to see Piccolo now had a hard-hat on and was directing Mr. Popo who was inside of a large construction crane on where

to set down the humongous throne. Dende twitched.

      " PICCOLO!!! "

      " Popo did you hear something? " Piccolo said, ignoring the guardian.

      " WHAT? " Mr. Popo called out, trying to hear over the sounds of the crane. While he had higher than human hearing,

Mr. Popo's ears were nothing in hearing-terms as compaired to the namekians.

      " Nevermind. That was just the sounds of the janitoral staff. " Piccolo said.

      " I am NOT going to be a JANITOR! " Dende hissed, then folded his arms, " Infact, I'm going to go contact Kaibito and

have him teleport me back to Namek-sei! "

      " Oh, you can't do that. " Piccolo stated.

      " AND WHY NOT! "

      " Because he's still frozen, along with everyone else. " Piccolo replyed.

      Dende telepathically reached out to the various Kaios only to find a bunch of blanked-out minds. He gulped, " Piccolo

..Piccolo I really REALLY think you should unfreeze everyone now! "

      " In a minute. " Piccolo brushed him off as he motioned Mr. Popo to lower the throne.

      " PICCOLO!!! "

      " Alright! " Piccolo said, irritated. He pressed the button, then quickly re-pressed it. The band looked a little

more confused than they had been and Chi-Chi was now in a running leap at the front door to Capsule Corp with the huge

marker over her head as if she was going to use it as a battering ram to break in, " There, happy? " Piccolo made a quick

smile, then put his hard-hat down and went to go get his emperor-of-the-earth hat.

      Dende sighed in a defeated way, then paused to hear a low sound coming from the band. The people had moved again,

very slightly.

      " *FWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE*!!!! " the sound

of hundreds of people playing part of a single poorly played frozen note echoed throughout the entire city. The harshness of

the sounds causing Piccolo and Dende's ears to throb and both namekians fell to their knees in pain while holding their hands

tightly over their ears.

      " AAARG! WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?! " Piccolo gawked, dropping both the watch and his hat to the ground so he could grab

onto his ears.

      " I TOLD YOU! THEY'RE STILL MOVING!!! JUST REALLY SLOWLY! " Dende snapped angrily, the sound drowning into this

eardrums.

      " POPO! " Piccolo shouted at the genie, " POPO!!! "

      " Hm? " Mr. Popo said. He had shut off the crane and was currently tilting his head at what to his ears sounded like

a quiet, crackily hum.

      " POPO YOU GOTTA GET RID OF THEIR INSTRUMENTS! "

      " What? " he blinked.

      " THE INSTRUMENTS! THE INSTRUMENTS POPO!!! " Piccolo screamed in a panic, writhing in pain along with Dende, " GET

THEIR INSTRUMENTS AWAY FROM THEM!!! "

      Mr. Popo shrugged and one by one started unhinging the musical instruments from each player and tossing them over his

shoulder and into the backround until everyone in the band now looked more like a marching unit than a musical one, " There.

Mr. Popo's deed is done! "

      " Thank God. " Piccolo breathed a sigh of relief. He picked up his hat and put it back on his head, then grabbed the

watch and flew up to his throne. Piccolo sat down contently and pressed the button. He leaned back happily with his eyes

closed and his arms folded, waiting to hear the cheers.

      " ... " Dende and Mr. Popo looked around, confused.

      " PICCOLO! PRESS THE BUTTON ALREADY! " Dende shouted up to him.

      " I DID! " Piccolo snapped back, his eyes still closed. Dende twitched in annoyance.

      " COME ON PICCOLO! "

      The older namek sat up and pressed the button on the watch again, then again and again and again, each time getting

more nervous as his band and the rest of the people below him refused to move. Piccolo grunted and opened up the back of the

watch to see several of the inside parts had been crushed by the drop to the floor. Piccolo's shoulders slumped down in shock

as he stared at the onlookers.

      " I can't. " he whispered, only loud enough for Dende to hear him.

      " WHAT? " Dende blinked.

      " I can't unfreeze them Dende, the watch must've broken when I dropped it just now. " Piccolo said, still in

disbelief.

      A rush of fear flew up Dende's spine, " Wha, whadda you mean it's BROKEN!? "

      " Oh crap!! Crap crap crap crap CRAP! " Piccolo groaned.

      " Does Piccolo mean to say that thanks to his selfish ways Piccolo has doomed Mr. Popo, Dende, and himself to a life

devoid of any contact of any other being?! " Mr. Popo gawked.

      " Yes. " Piccolo said in a whisper.

      " ...oh. So that is the case. " Mr. Popo nodded, then burst into rage, " MR. POPO IS GOING TO KILL YOU!!!! " he

screamed, lundging at the throne and punching it as he climbed upward, " WAIT'LL MR. POPO GETS HIS HANDS ON PICCOLO! MR. POPO

WILL MAKE PICCOLO FEEL PAIN LIKE PICCOLO HAS NEVER FELT BEFORE!!! "

      Piccolo looked visibly terrified. He nor Kami had ever seen Mr. Popo "angry" their entire lives.

      Dende meanwhile sat down to try and think up a plan to get them out of this mess.

      " DIE DIE DIE DIE!! " Mr. Popo grabbed Piccolo's helmet/turban and started whacking him in the head with it.

      " DENDE! DO *OWW!* SOMETHING! " Piccolo shouted.

      Dende smiled, then pulled out a camera and took several snapshots of Mr. Popo beating up Piccolo, " Ah, sweet justice

. "

      " TAKE THAT AND THAT AND THAT AND THAT! " Mr. Popo shouted, landing punches all over the taller namekian.

      " MR. POPO! PICCOLO! I HAVE A PLAN! "

      " What? " Mr. Popo blinked, pausing from hitting Piccolo. He jumped down to where Dende was standing, " Dende's

kidding? " he said anxiously.

      " Nope. " Dende shook his head, " It's actually very simple. "

      " Really? " Piccolo said in pain as he sat up.

      " Yes! All we have to do is fix the watch! " Dende said victoriously. Piccolo gawked at him.

      " Dende, we can't fix the watch. I'm a warrior, you're a guardian, and Mr. Popo's, well, Mr. Popo. We're NOT

mechanics! " Piccolo exclaimed.

      " Well we're gonna have to try! " Dende said, " We'll open the watch up in Bulma's lab and use her tools to put it

back together. It's the only chance we got! That is--unless you'd LIKE the Earth to be stuck this way for the rest of

eternity-- "

      " --OVER MR. POPO'S DEAD BODY!!! " the genie shouted, bursting back into temporary rage. Dende, who had directed

the comment to Piccolo, not Popo, sweatdropped.

      " Oh-kay.....heh-heh. Let's go guys. " Dende nodded, heading back inside Capsule Corp.

      Mr. Popo stood there, glaring up at Piccolo, " WHAT IS PICCOLO WAITING FOR! CHRISTMAS!? "

      " No offense Popo, but you're starting to creep me out. " Piccolo said flatly.

      " What do you mean Mr. Popo is creepy? MR. POPO IS NOT CREEPY!!! "

      " Uh-huh. " Piccolo said, slipping inside, " Hey Dende wait for me!! "

      " Oh-kay, twist here, and here, and there, and here, " Dende instructed while looking through a microscope. Piccolo

had been using a tiny screwdriver to operate on it.

      " I don't see why I'M the one who has to fix it. " Piccolo grumbled.

      " Because YOU'RE the one who broke it. " Dende replied.

      " HURRY HURRY HURRY!! " Mr. Popo shouted.

      " I'm going as fast as I can here! " Piccolo snapped back at him, turning back to the screwdriver.

      " Now I want you to slowwwly place that one round part back upright again next to the springy thing. " Dende said.

      " ..and you're SURE you know what you're doing? " the taller namek said, doing so.

      " Positive. "

      " Is Piccolo done yet? " the genie asked curiously.

      " Almost. " Piccolo groaned, " There, Dende. Is there anything else? "

      Dende smiled, " I think that's it. " he narrowed his eyes through the microscope, " just close the hatch VERY

CAREFULLY...and....ah~! Perfect! " Dende hopped off his stool and grabbed the watch off the table. He held it close to his

ear and smiled when he heard the watch ticking again, " Now all we have left to do is for Piccolo to press the button. " he

said happily, then smirked and held out the watch to the older namekian, " Press the button, Piccolo. "

      Mr. Popo grabbed onto Piccolo's cape along with Dende to avoid the effects of the watch.

      Piccolo took a deep breath and pressed the button.

      Noises erupted from above them from the sounds of machinery to a very large confused crowd. Above all these sounds

however was an unescapable war-cry from the floor directly above them and the tip to a giant green marker was suddenly

rammed straight through the floor above the lab.

      " SON GOKU WHAT THE HECK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING ONTOP OF THE OUJI!!! "

      " But I was just pushing Veggie, that's all--and I, uh, well--- "

      " HA! A LIKELY STORY! YOU GET OFF HIM RIGHT NOW BEFORE YOU START DOING OUJI-INFLUENCED THINGS TO HIM! "

      " Can I say something? " a very confused, deeper voice said.

      " NO!! "

      " Well, I think it goes without saying that we've unfrozen everybody. " Dende said, the trio staring upward at

the giant maker and the screaming going on above it.

      " Ah! " Piccolo grinned, then dashed upstairs and out the front door to where he had left his band, " MY PEOPLE! "

he said heroically, then sweatdropped to see the confused crowd had left and ditched their uniforms where they had stood.

Only the instruments and uniforms remained. Piccolo's shoulders slumped, " Just can't catch a break, can I? "

      " As Mr. Popo says, 'you cannot have your cake and eat it too'. " the now pleasant-again genie beside him said,

nodding. Piccolo stared at him incrediously. Mr. Popo looked upward in thought, " Or maybe it was 'two birds in a hand equal

three in a bush'. Mr. Popo is not sure. "

      " Uh-huh. " Piccolo said dryly, then turned to go back inside, slumping.

      " URG! I swear Son Goku once I get you home I am going to teach you SUCH a lesson in how NOT to touch the Ouji that

you will FEAR even letting him step within a FOOT of you! " Chi-Chi ranted as she continued to wash Goku's hands in the

kitchen.

      " But he just sat down and pushed against me sideways! And all I did was push him back! And then he pushed ME back! "

Vegeta rambled with embarassment in a defensive way, " There's no WAY I would let that big baka over there do that sort of

thing to me! "

      " I--I--I wasn't trying to! " Goku flushed bright pink. The ouji ignored him, then glared at Chi-Chi.

      " ONNA YOU SHOULD KNOW BY NOW THAT I DON'T WANT KAKARROTTO AS THE OUJO! I NEVER INTENDED TO MAKE HIM SUCH! HE'S

**GOING** TO BE MY SERVANT-MAID AND NOTHING MORE! IT'S ALL PURELY PLATONIC!! " Vegeta screamed, " AND YOU KNOW IT! "

      " Ha! Platonic or not there's no way he's pushing anybody like that EVER again! ESPECIALLY YOU. " she sneered.

      Vegeta smirked, " Poor Onna, the aging human mind sure is catching up with you, eh? " he then glanced over at Goku,

" Besides, if my relationship to Kakarrotto was the was something OTHER than friend/buddy/ouji---WHICH IT'S NOT--I would

certainly not be letting Kakarrotto run the show like that, controling my entire life....HE'D STICK ME IN ONE OF THOSE GI'S

AND DUMB MY BRAIN DOWN TIL I WAS NOTHING MORE THAN HIS LITTLE TOY!! " the ouji sputtered.

      " I like toys! " Goku chirped obliviously.

      " Somehow I don't think Goku's smart enough to do something like that. " Chi-Chi cocked an eyebrow.

      Vegeta nodded in agreement, " His paritally-empty peasant-mind DOES have its upside. "

      " Ugh. " a groan came from beside them. Goku, Vegeta, and Chi-Chi turned just intime to see Piccolo slump down

defeatedly at the kitchen table.

      " Hey! It's Piccolo! HI Piccolo! " Goku smiled as Chi-Chi dried his hands with a paper-towel.

      " Hi Goku, hi Chi-Chi. " Piccolo said dully.

      Vegeta coughed loudly.

      " I saw you already today. " Piccolo grumbled to him.

      " Why the long sad face, Piccy-san? " Goku pouted, teleporting to the other side of the table.

      " I've learned that some inventions are labeled failures for a reason, Son. " Piccolo sighed.

      " Aww, poor Pic-co-lo. " Goku tilted his head, " I was using Veggie as a pillow and then we started to push each

other and I was winning but Chi-chan came in and got mad cuz she thought Veggie's Veggie-ness had tainted my mind and I was

doing nasty, saucy things to my little Veggie. "

      " You really over-estimated his cunningness, didn't you Chi-Chi? " Piccolo said, surprised. Chi-Chi looked miffed.

      " HEY! I can too be cunning if I wanna be! " Goku pouted, " Why--why I could go up there and kidnap Veggie off to

someplace all secret-n-stuff if I wanted to--- " Chi-Chi sent him a death-glare, " --but am not cuz Chi-chan says it's a bad

thing to do and I'm not a bad person. "

      " Uh-huh. " Piccolo said, swinging the watch around by it's chain, then putting it down on the table, " I'm gonna go

take a walk. I have some things to sort out. " he got up and headed for the backdoor.

      " Well, oh-kay Piccolo! Have fun walking! " Goku waved goodbye to him.

      " Uh-huh. " the namek opened the door and walked outside.

      " Huh, what the heck is THIS supposed to be? " Vegeta muttered, picking up the watch. Piccolo shot to attention,

then whipped around to see the ouji smirking.

      " VEGETA DON'T!!! "

      " *CLICK*! "

*****************************************************************************************************************************

11:17 PM 7/20/2003

THE END!

Vegeta: Heh-heh, I liked THAT ending.

Chuquita: (sighs) *whew*! I'm so glad I got THAT over with. I had such a busy week that I didn't get my normal amount of

typing done and I didn't think I'd be ready for Monday. Infact if I hadn't been busy I'd have been ready for Friday but

fanfiction.net was down that day so I couldn't have sent it that day anyways :D

Goku: (blinks) If that is the end than what happens to little Veggie?

Vegeta: **I** take over the world, that's what.

Chuquita: HA! You don't want this planet and you know it.

Goku: (grins) Silly lieing lil Veggie!

Vegeta: Well, I'd do SOMETHING at least.

Chuquita: Unfortunately we won't get a chance to find out what that something is because the story's over :)

Piccolo: You know if you hadn't had me drop the watch...I would've had this one in the bag.

Chuquita: Yes you would've. But it's not nice to takeover the world and I couldn't let you do that.

Goku: (holds out a piece of fudge to Piccolo) Candy helps me feel better, Piccolo, maybe it'll help you too. (smiles)

Piccolo: (flatly) Namekians don't EAT, remember Son?

Goku: (frowns) Oh yeah...sorry, Piccy-san.

Piccolo: ...

Goku: ... (smiles at the fudge) ..can **I** have the--

Piccolo: (sighs) --go ahead, Goku.

Goku: (shoves the fudge in his mouth) Mmmmmmmm~! Yummy! (turns to Veggie) Veggie want some fudge?

Vegeta: (looks at the box of fudge in Goku's other hand) Uhhh, when did you get it?

Goku: I dunno? (smiles cluelessly)

Vegeta: Where did you get it?

Goku: I dunno? (smiles cluelessly)

Vegeta: No thanks.

Goku: (pouts) Aww, but it's really yummy fudge, lil Veggie. (grins) Melts in your mouth, not in your hand!

Vegeta: (twitch) Alright, I'll take one. (narrows his eyes) But that doesn't mean I'll eat it.

Goku: :)

Vegeta: (studying the piece of fudge) (sniffs it)

Piccolo: (to Chu) At least my schemes get farther than his do. (motioned to Vegeta)

Chuquita: You've got a point. Besides, if Veggie truely really DID win, there would be horrible repercussions. Especially on

Chi-Chi's part.

Vegeta: (smirks) Which I wouldn't mind very much in the least.

Chuquita: And which I'm not doing because, well, because.

Goku: (pokes Veggie) Veggie if you're not gonna eat that fudge I'll be glad to take if off your hands.

Vegeta: (pales) That sounded wrong. (snaps) AND I AM TOO GOING TO EAT IT! WATCH! (shoves it in his mouth) (turns green and

throws up) BLEH!!! WHAT WAS IN THAT!?

Goku: I dunno? (smiles cluelessly)

Vegeta: AAUGH!

Chuquita: (sweatdrops) (to audiance) And now for the lil list of future stories! None of these have actual summaries written

yet so what I'm really listing is their keywords, which are what I use to remember what each yet-to-exist story is going to

be basically about :) Here they are!

Lil list of future stories!:

GT my way

Veg Chi on the road

Veggieblanca

shinkage

Goggieparody

Brolli8parody

Veggietall

life w/o kak plot

Veggielearnsthepiano

Veggie'sgarden

Mt.PaozuVolcanofear

Dock&Celivisit

Kaklearnsaiyago

Kakahawaiiexodancesscareveggie

tailsfallinluv

introtoveggiesclone

chiwisheskakhuman

Chuquita: Well, there ya go :D

Vegeta: (curious) I notice a few are missing...

Chuquita: Yeah, well, one was my original idea for this w/you finding the watch instead of Pic and the other was something I

started but wasn't sure I'd be able to finish so I semi-gave-up.

Vegeta: ...and you're not going to tell me.

Chuquita: (grins) I don't like to reveal plots to unfinished fics, (thinks) I have about 8 of 'um total, and it's been a

loooooong while since I started & didn't finish one, w/the exception of the most recent one.

Vegeta: Ah.

Chuquita: Anyways, the audiance should be able to get an idea of each one by the keywords. Actual titles and summaries &

stuff'll come later.

Goku: (grins) My name a-ppears in the list a whole lot.

Chuquita: (smiles) That it does! Not sure which one I'll do as the next fic though. One of the keywords I'm not sure if I'd

even be able to do the fic w/o it getting really long: "life w/o kak plot", which was suggested by a reader. It had a lot of

great humor/drama stuff but I'm gonna have to do some of the other ones before getting to it. I'm not very good at

writing many-chapter fics. Another fic on my list, "chiwisheskakhuman", will have to wait a lil while because it's what

happens when the dragonballs are finally active again (around october) and I've been trying really hard to keep them working

in a semi-normal-time timeline. Veggie used them last year to wish himself and Goku immortal, then wished Goku into being his

servant-maid but they got that wish canceled on Veggie.

Vegeta: (snorts) Hai, baka onna. (glares at Son) You were a creepy servant-maid anyway. YOU TREATED ME LIKE A BABY!!!

Goku: (sniffles) (big sparkily teary eyes) But lil-lil Veh-gee that is bee-cause I luv u.

Piccolo: (snickers at Vegeta)

Vegeta: (to Pic) (snaps) YOU SHUDDUP!!

Piccolo: Ah, life is grand. (sits back contently)

Chuquita: Well, that about wraps it up here. We'll see you next week w/one of the stories listed above.

Goku: (happily) We're not sure which one yet, but it'll be fun!

Chuquita: (nods) That it will! (smiles) We'd like to thank Piccolo for being here w/us again! Let's give him a hand!

Goku: (claps for Pic) Yay! Yay for Piccolo! EventhoughImnotsurewhathedid, YAY!!! (toots lil horn)

Piccolo: (sweatdrops) (gets up to leave) Goodbye Son, Chu, Vegeta.

Vegeta: (snags the seat back from Piccolo) (evil laugh) BWAHAHAHAHAHA! I AM THE MAIN CHARACTER AGAIN! FEAR MY GREAT AND

POWERFULNESS!!

Goku: Heeheehee, you got some fudge on your shirt.

Vegeta: (looks down, twitches and wipes it off) (goes back to confident evil laugh) BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Chuquita: Goodbye everybody. (waves)

Goku: (grins) May the fruits of your labor bring good harvest--and watermelons! I luv watermelons! Except the seeds, they

get stuck in my teeth.

Vegeta: (slightly disgusted) Thanks for sharing, Kakarrotto.

Goku: (warm smile) You are WELCOME, little Veggie!

Vegeta: (bright red) Uh heh, heh-heh-heh, (to audiance) Bye.


End file.
